Taekwondo athlete alleges bribe demand, complains to Uttarakhand CM

Some dreams are shattered before they have a chance to take shape. For 17-year-old Shayra, a Class 12 student and talented Taekwondo athlete from Uttarakhand, the dream of competing at the international level was put on hold after she was unable to arrange the money required to travel to Romania.

Shayra, a student of CNI Girls Inter College, raised the issue during Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s ‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Vidyarthi Manthan’ programme in Dehradun on August 10. She became emotional while recounting how she had won gold at a national Taekwondo championship and was subsequently selected for an international event.

Her remarks sparked a political controversy, with the Congress alleging that Shayra had been asked to pay a Rs150,000 bribe. However, in a subsequent video, the teenager provided more clarity and described the money not as a bribe. Even the Uttarakhand government issued a clarification, saying the matter has been misrepresented as a case of a government official demanding money from the student.

Shayra told the gathering that she had travelled to Jammu for the national championships, where her performance earned her selection for an international tournament in Romania. According to her later clarification, the organisation involved had agreed to cover around Rs170,000 of her expenses, while she was required to arrange the remaining Rs150,000 herself.

“I didn’t inform my school or anyone, and that is why I could not go,” she said in the video.

Shayra also said she had been unable to complete her account while speaking to the Chief Minister. After she became emotional during the programme, Dhami comforted her and directed officials to collect details about her school and examine the matter.

Shayra, however, did not name anyone who had allegedly demanded the money. Her subsequent clarification also made no allegation that a government official had sought money from her. Instead, she explained that the amount represented the expenses she was required to bear for participating in the international tournament.

The episode has nevertheless raised broader questions about the support available to young athletes who qualify for international competitions.